


This Ain't a Scene

by Bremmatron33



Series: Good Old Boys [1]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Prime
Genre: Blood and Gore, Enemies to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-30
Updated: 2017-08-30
Packaged: 2018-12-21 14:21:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11946090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bremmatron33/pseuds/Bremmatron33
Summary: Love can be like an open would. Without closure it hurts like a bitch.





	This Ain't a Scene

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Charliedzilla](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Charliedzilla/gifts).



> There should be a new sub type of hurt/comfort that's just called insult to injury because it's all I'm good at and by that I mean brutalizing a poor character then somehow inserting sexual tension. Anyway I hope you like this Charlie!!

Bulkhead knew he should have been careful, for some reason it was always him who made things go from bad to worse and….they were already pretty bad.

They were fighting over another mine. One that they really really needed. The Autobot storerooms had sat empty for a month now and everyone was cranky with the watered down stuff Ratchet had managed to get working with everyone’s hoarded rations.

So he really should have known better. Should have just taken out as many of the miners as he could to get them to run. Should have listened to Arcee’s plan. It was a good plan. The femme always came up with really good plans. Except he didn’t listen. All it took was one punch from Breakdown and every thought was out of his processor.

He didn’t know what it was...rage, regret, envy? Probably all three and a few more. He just couldn’t leave the Con alone. Not that Breakdown would ever give him a chance if he wanted to anyway.

Snarling as he spit mud from between his denta Bulkhead transformed his servos to his wrecking balls and rolled out of the Cons attack, stumbling back to his peds as quick as his frame would let him.. He jumped a few feet back another yard as the Con landed. His hammers leaving two deep dents and thin circles as the enhanced shockwaves cracked through the dry dirt. Primus if that didn’t grind his gears. The Cons were always so damn lucky. It wasn’t fair that they had advanced weapons and he was still running around with his old work gear!

He spared a glance around the battlefield Arcee and Bumblebee were holding their own but the Vehicons were advancing and Knock Out had arrived and was taking up half of Bee’s concentration. With how seriously he was taking the fight the Cons must have been running low themselves. Where had he even come from? He hadn’t been in the woods or the hills and Bulkhead hadn’t heard the sound of a ground bridge so that left….the mines? Why would he be down there?

Breakdown didn’t give him anymore time to care as a few shots from the bruisers blaster shot past Bulkhead’s face and scorched his shoulder. “Forget about me?” Primus the way the slagger cocked his hip, the way he smiled…..just like the way he used to back then.

Bulkhead only laughed as he rolled the pain from his shoulder away.“What’s to remember?” That pissed him off.

“Looks like you still haven’t learned. I’ll get it through your thick skull some day. Who knows? Maybe right now!” Breakdown lunged again and slammed his elbow square in Bulkhead’s chest, bringing on of his hammers down on the Bot’s wounded shoulder. Even he was playing it by the book, or as well as he could. He was trying to take him apart bit by bit, he had a plan. What was their plan?

Bulkhead managed to catch Breakdown’s head in a swing and throw him off but the blaster shots came in quick succession keeping him down, and leaving burning dents in his armor. Bulkhead barreled through and slammed into the taller mech and tried to take out the gun but the Con rolled him and went right back to wailing on his shoulder. Bulkhead let him keeping most of the hits off just to take the body shots he could sneak in as tried to get back on top but the arm at his intake was making it hard. “Someone’s not on their best day Bulk! That’s gonna really bite you in the aft in a bit once the Doc get’s your little friends in order.” Fear struck through Bulkhead at that. He knew they had something planned!

Looking around he saw that most of the vehicons were gone, some were still wheeling carts out of the mine into a ground bridge but the rest…..why had they left? “What are you two up to!?” Breakdown just laughed and dug his digits deeper under his shoulder guard. Bulkhead focused on shaking him off. “ANSWER ME YOU SLAG EATIN’-” Bulkhead swore and roared as he felt bits of his shoulder guard finally crack away letting Breakdown get to his internals. The Con tearing and the wires and ripping what he could from the socket with wild abandon. Shaking him off wasn’t doing any good so he decided to fight fire with fire.

Slamming his wrecking ball down on the Con’s hip cracked one his taillights and left a nasty dent that Bulkhead was sure pinched a few wires. It sure got the mech to scream like a little bitch. “YER GONNA PAY FOR THAT!”

“OH YEAH? MAKE ME!” Bulk took a swing at Breakdown’s face and uppercut him hard enough to finally send him flying. Lurching up he finished wailing on the Cons leg till it was caved in and bent at an ugly angle. Giving him one last sock to the gut to wind him just enough to take in the situation. The place was nearly empty, Vechs still carting energon as quick as they could but all the fighting had stopped. What in the Pit happened to Arcee and Bee?! A smooth haughty voice gave him all the answer he needed.

“Oh Breakdown darling whenever you’re finished playing~” Knock Out. Bulkhead had forgotten about him. Scrabbling in the dirt the bruiser managed to get back to his peds and charge at the medic.

“WHAT DID YOU DO WITH MY FRIENDS?!” Bulkhead had hoped to catch Knock Out off guard but the Con was ready for him. Bulkhead managed to dodge the energon prod and rip it from the mechs servo but Knock Out didn’t seem that attached to it.

“Would you like to find out?” The medic’s kick couldn’t send Bulkhead as far as it could send most but it still sent him tumbling down the steep slope of the mine and out of the picture. “Goal! Make sure not to touch anything! That prod is live!” Knock Out took his time to chortle until a small blast shook the ground beneath his peds. “Well~ That’s our cue. Breakdown?”

“Uhh Doc a I’ll uh...I’ll need a little help.” Knock Out turned on his heel to see his bruiser stuck on the ground, a look of panic filling his optics. The ground was already starting to spew flames and crack beneath him. The mine a lot bigger than they had even thought. “Doc?” Breakdown was sporting his classic abandoned puppy look now as he crawled forward despite the earth falling below him. There was no way he was going to make it out without help.

Knock Out was quick as he transformed and raced towards his partner but with the ground already unstable and shooting blistering steam and molten rock it made things difficult on the mech to reach the other. Luckily Breakdown had the sense to jump despite his injury so despite his fumbled transformation back Knock Out managed to slide forward just in time to catch mech’s servo. “I’ve got you! I’ve got this, it’ll be alright.” Breakdown’s dead weight pulled agonizingly on his shoulder and Knock Out could feel his struts bending despite the taut cables keeping it sturdy. Knock Out had no way to pull Breakdown up and could feel the ground he was on already starting to collapse. He’d ran right to his death.

Breakdown could see the poorly hidden panic in the other mech’s optics and immediately felt like a fool. He’d killed them both now. He’d played their friendship too far. Still...at least he could die happy knowing Knock Out really did care about him. After the slag couple of month it meant a lot.....and Knock Out knew it. The least he could do was return the favor. He had to scream over the roaring inferno below and the Doctor’s own internal screaming to get his attention. “DOC! I’m sorry! Get out of here while you still can! I’m tough! I’ll survive the fall!”

Knock Out didn’t even get a chance to respond or react as a torrent of flame shot up and engulfed the area. Breakdown felt himself drop as everything collapsed around him, he could hear Knock Out shrieking in pain. As he fell into the mine he managed to pull the mech close to shield him as best as he could. The last thing he felt, the Doctor’s talons biting desperately into his metal, and the sharp pain of the craggy walls as his frame was knocked about.

* * *

 

Onlineing Bulkhead smelled smoke and the sweet scent of warm energon and fancy wax. Looking around hazily, expecting to find a certain Con nearby he found...nothing. An empty cave….no an empty mine. There were still a fair amount of raw energon crystals studding the walls giving off a soothingly eerie blue light that made the smoke still lingering in the air a deep purple. Bulkhead found himself coughing at how perfumed it was with clashing aromas. The aggravation not helping his already sore frame. He was glad to have onlined at all though so he managed to get through the sputtering as his vents cleared of rubble and smoke. The tickling, itch still lingered in his frame. What was that? It sort of burned too. For his fears he reasoned it off as a scrapped tube, or a clogged fan but with the way Knock Out had been acting, the way he had smiled as he kicked Bulkhead into the cave screamed of something more devious. He needed to find the others. With a little luck they would be seared and a bit melted in places but well enough for Ratchet to fix as long as he snuck out some crystals with him.

Bulkhead groaned as he forced himself to his peds and jiggled his limp arm. Breakdown had really known what he was doing. He’d wanted him to leave with empty servos, if he’d left at all. This had been a trap. They’d wanted mechs to die. Which was a turn for the two who were more than happy to just play games. Can’t keep having fun if you kill the other players now can ya’. The more Bulkhead walked around the less he found, just a tunnel back to the hole he remembered falling down and thin cave wall that could lead him to somewhere new if he worked right. That was dangerous territory though, the ground was already unstable as it was and the last thing he wanted was a cave in. So he headed back. The fall had felt like forever but there was a chance he could get himself out and go get backup to help out Bee and Arcee.

Trying to ignore the lingering Vehicons he’d barreled into and promptly offlined Bulkhead leaned heavily on the walls to support his exhausted frame. He’d been leaking a lot and knew he was going to have to risk pounding the walls to refuel soon. The first thing his optics set on was the spot of white natural light above him in the distance. It was...small. Really small and even with a decent path up a little further it was going to be a long vertical climb. The second thing he discovered as he was falling back down thanks to failing his first climb was another living body.

Breakdown let out a bark of a groan as he shoved Bulkhead off of him but could do little else, the Con fainting as suddenly as he onlined. Bulkhead rubbed at his dented knees and back and was about to confront who he thought was a lucky Vehicon but stopped when he saw the lump of shiny deep blue. Slag. Of course.

Breakdown was worse off than he was. The leg Bulkhead had wailed on was gone now and the bots other ped too. Breakdown had smashed the end closed to stop it from leaking too badly but it wasn’t quite doing the trick. Probably the best he could manage considering his other wounds. Melted tires, cracked optics, and a badly dented middle with a hole from a stalactite that was dangerously close to a tank. One his servos was missing and half of his chest plate. He was hemorrhaging small bits of internal with every twitch but it could have just been the loose dirt that had tried to bury him. Good riddance to most of it as far as he was concerned. The Con had been a lot cuter as a racer….not that the Con doc hadn’t done a good job revamping him Breakdown wasn’t ugly….he just wasn’t cute anymore and that was a real shame. Bulk really liked cute. Foregoing useless feelings Bulkhead reasoned that even if he got Breakdown in a good mood he probably wasn’t going to be much help.

The Con did have something that might though. One of his precious partners arms. The fancy door was cracked and the upper arm was split open leaving the bundle of wires inside a tangled mess but that was nothing, the servo part was perfect and that mean a small arsenal of medical tools right at the digitips and plenty of dead vehicons to reap new wires from. It wouldn’t be pretty but he really needed both of his arms to get out the the damn mine. All he had to do was get it from the Con. Which wasn’t as easy as it sounded.

“WHhetdyoyathnyerdoen!” Breakdown certainly wasn’t coherent but he wasn’t at risk of going into stasis. He had been in standby to save energy as he waited for the rest of Knock Out to show up probably.

“Give me the arm!” Breakdown looked up at him as if Bulk had asked him for his first born.

“No!”

“I said hand it over!” Figuring the Con couldn’t do much else Bulkhead made a grab for it but even beat up as he was Breakdown was always a pain in the aft. Even with all the crying and shouting he was doing as they tussled Bulk still had to jump out to avoid a hammer to the face. “COME ON! I just want to fix my arm so I can get out of here! Then you can have this Pit to yourself Con!”

“You really think I didn’t know that? Have fun rusting Bulkhead.” Bulkhead just sneered. He could get that arm if he really needed it but….too much of a fight might really kill Breakdown and no matter how many times he told himself it didn’t matter, had to remember what happened the last time he tried to help, remind himself what would likely happen to him if Knock Out got their first, he just couldn’t do it. Breakdown might not have been his Breakdown anymore…..but he was still Breakdown. So he headed back to the other side of the tunnel to break down some walls.

With only one functioning arm it wasn’t easy work and he was already exhausted as the wall cracked away and gushed out a stream of thick deep red liquid. He figured at first it was mud but….they weren’t in the right area. As the new room drained the cold liquid sloshed and went down the slope of the tunnel leaving only an inch or two at his peds. It steamed as soon as it touched his hot internals, the vapors giving off that signature smell. Bulkhead could only guess what it was but the thick metal container that lazily knocked into his ped and Breakdown’s shrill holler from the room over told him it was nothing good. Bulk dropped the container like a hot engine and ran back to the room. “What ya screaming for!” Breakdown was screaming because of the water, doing his best to get out of it despite having nothing to help him do so. Bulkhead just stared at his peds. They didn’t feel any worse off despite the steam.

The glare Breakdown gave him made him rethink his calm.“What the pit did you do you idiot!

“Me! I’m trying to get out of this Pit! That’s what I’m doing!” Breakdown just whined and snarled.

“YOU EFFIN’ SLAGGED US! YOU SLAGGED US BOTH YOU SPREW HEAP! NOW WE’RE NOT EVER GETTIN’ OUT OF HERE ALL THANKS TO YOU!” Bulkhead tried to get more info from the Con but despite his panic Breakdown left him in the dark.

All the Bot could do now was break down a few more walls, but it never seemed to end. Hunger and exhaustion quickly set in, cold and loneliness followed. Bulkhead remembered a time when he could be so stalwart, so self sufficient now he couldn’t last a few hours wishing he had Bee’s jovial attitude to liven up the abysmal situation or Ratchet to scream at him and patch up his stinging wounds. So as much as he told himself not to Bulkhead wandered back over to Breakdown’s side of the cave. He tossed a few energon crystals on the mech before he could turn around and took a seat in the least wet spot he could find. “Here. The last thing I need is your dead body stinkin’ up the place.” With any luck he could bribe the arm out of the Con.

“Gee thanks.” That didn’t sound like the voice of mech who was warming up.

* * *

 

As the hours went by Bulkhead found out that there was no other exit than up. He’d punched down every wall he could that wouldn’t end in a collapsed ceiling and only got right back where he started. He quickly gave up on the punching front and went back to the bribing front. Hours quickly turned into cycles. Luckily Breakdown was too weak to get his own energon and though he barely ate the crystals Bulk threw at him, he did eat them.The quiet silence of sharing a space with an enemy masquerading as lover, turned enemy….again then upgraded to rival was….fine, it beat being alone but what was unbearable was having to spend hours each cycle he waited hoping Optimus would find them listening to the Con whisper into the arm of his missing boyfriend. It was fucking madness and eventually Bulkhead just couldn’t take it. Ripping off a rather large piece of rock from the wall Bulkhead tossed it and hit Breakdown square in the middle. “Will you stop whisperin’ to that thing! It’s an arm! Your boyfriend’s not going to answer ya back through it! He’s probably left you here to rot like the rest of the Cons. He sure didn’t save your aft the last time did he? ” It might not answer but Bulkhead couldn’t help but bitterly notice even without being attached to the medic it still managed to help fix up Breakdown’s leg. Not that it made the mech look any better. There was a worrying puddle of dark foul smelling oily slime around the Con now and Breakdown wouldn’t let Bulk get close enough to even look at it for his own damn safety.

Breakdown just laughed and tossed the rock right back. “Aw Bulkhead~ You sound jealous..heh...good. You should know what you’re missing. How many times a millena does Jackie put out eh? Or that little blue spitfire?” Breakdown let the dig linger but Bulkhead didn’t react. “And for your information KO was in a healing stasis that day but even if he’d been awake he’s my boss not my caretaker. It’s not the Doc’s job to save me. I’m supposed to come back, take care of myself, protect him. I already owe him too much for getting me out of mines like these….for giving me what I’ve always wanted. For making me proud of myself. Slag you never did….you just treated me like another wrecker groupie after your spike. You couldn’t even help me when I needed you most. Just threw me to the DJD like everything we had meant nothing.”

Bulkhead dug his digits in the muddy ground, glad for the shadows of the cave so the Con couldn’t see his blush. He was jealous. He knew he hadn’t treated Breakdown right….that he’d been angry when he found out about him being a Con….and not just that part of their fragging war machine but he’d regretted his decision. Longed for their battles to one day say what he always wanted and partly to beat the mech to death for making him feel that way. He’d hoped that time with M.E.C.H.….he hoped he would have stayed but he chose Knock Out again. “I gave you a second chance at us. You chose the Cons….again. You’re a Con Breakdown through and through and I’m done wasting my time.”

Breakdown barked a laugh and Bulkhead burned with embarrassment. “Primus! You sound so cute when you're mad.When you’re blaming it all on me...just like always. I would have stayed if you made me a real offer but it wasn’t. You haven’t changed Bulk. You ain’t committed. You ain’t sincere. Nothing. Prime would have just let me go and I would have just gone if Screamer hadn’t shown up. They would of blamed the Doc, my BOSS, for my hopping sides and they would've treated him nasty for the same reason you hate his guts. They would have never trusted him. Might of even killed him. If you had made me a real offer you would have known I considered it because I would have warned him first.” Breakdown went quiet but Bulkhead wished he kept talking. Anything to fill the silence even at his expense. He got his wish. “The Doc’s always been good to me. You know…. we met in a mine just like this one on some other slum planet. After I spent another ten thousand years getting beat by Motormaster thanks to you. After he finally kicked the bucket. Him...and most of the others.

KO was a scavenger, he’d come looking for fuel pretending to be a war prisoner. He saw me rotting at a grading station and the rest was like repeating history. Turns out old bucket head wanted to get the band back together and didn’t like that I’d run off. Accept the Doc didn’t abandon me. You would have laughed at how he swindled Tarn. He may not have been a Con from the start….but he might be worse than one because he’s a good mech….deep down.”

Bulkhead scoffed and he threw the pile of mud he was idly shoveling with his servos. “Well lunatics flock together so I’m not surprised. What do you want me to say? Rehashing this slag now? That I made the wrong choice? That I just up and abandoned you?.... I didn’t! They kept their word. You’re still alive! Certainly well enough to hold a grudge and hunt me down whenever our paths even remotely crossed! You were a Con! You’d run away from your problems and you lied through your denta till they became ours. I was protecting the group. It was the wrecker way no matter how you look at it. I’m not Knock Out! I wasn’t going to become a Con for you!” Breakdown hissed through his denta as his frame shook with another laugh, the pool of muck inching evermore outward.

“I brought KO to Con Doc’s after a wall fell on him and put him in a coma. I’d never have seen the Cons again if it wasn’t for that. We just stayed for a while because it was easy before heading off on our own again. What I’m trying to tell you is you got it wrong about us. We share a life together, I protect him, I’d die for him and the closest thing we’ve got to romantic is sharing the berth a few nights and maybe a few drunk kisses. He’s...all I’ve got, I trust him and I didn’t have to do anything more than put in enough effort to know that he cares about me even if he makes hard decisions that don’t always work out in my favor. Compared to you? I gave you my spark, night after night and I thought it meant something...and you showed me I was wrong.” Bulkhead wanted to refute the Con, wanted to tell him he was wrong…..but he wasn't. Bulkhead knew himself better, he’d been cocky back then, full of himself even. He really didn’t know what he’d lost until it was gone and pining after someone else. “Was I wrong Bulk? Did I ever mean anything to you Bulkhead or was I just another cute desperate scout you liked warming your lap?” Breakdown asked the question as if there was something on the line. There was but Bulkhead didn’t know that at the time. He didn’t want to answer even without knowing.

“I…..I saved you didn’t I?”

“THAT’S NOT AN ANSWER! YOU DIDN’T DO THAT FOR ME YOU DID THAT FOR YOU! FOR YOUR SLAGGIN’ PRIDE ‘CAUSE YOUR UGLY PET EGGED YOU! I want to know about then! Not now. I know you want this now. You didn’t keep coming back in here to ogle me for my health!” Breakdown’s tirade echoed on the walls of the cave. They deepened Bulkhead’s shame. To be fair he had come in most of the time to sneak the damn arm away or see where the Con was leaking from. He only stared because he couldn’t accomplish either goal. Bulkhead couldn’t help but mumble as he went back to playing with the dirt.

“What would change if I said yes? Honestly?” No matter how the Con protested Bulkhead knew he had feelings for KO even if one’s for him still lingered. Bulkhead would always be a leg behind and with how badly their relationship was it was plain to see it would never be a good relationship even if they tried. Bulkhead had screwed around with Breakdown’s spark far too badly for him to really trust him again. Breakdown let the question fall into silence unanswered. Bulkhead hoped that was the end of that. He was tired of talking now.

“I don’t believe you.” The response meant nothing to Bulkhead so he ignored it, assuming Breakdown hadn’t heard the entire question. Oh well...the mech heard what he wanted to hear and still didn’t like the answer. He looked up when he felt something hit his knee guard. The Doctor’s thin servo, still mostly pristine despite its poor handling. “Get out before the doc get’s here or this is gonna be your grave. I’m not messing around this time Bulk. We decided we’re done with the war and everyone involved. Don’t re-involve yourself got it?”

“What the Pit does that mean?” Breakdown didn’t answer, already in standby again. It didn’t matter he had what he wanted...only as hard as he tried to use it doing surgery on himself sure as hell wasn’t as easy as other mechs made it look.

He ended up kicking the mech back online after getting frustrated. Breakdown only glared at him. It wasn’t Bulk’s fault entirely! He wasn’t trained and the cough that was settling in his engine wasn’t helping either! That’s what he got for eating raw energon.

Breakdown glared up at him through dim cracked optics. Like dying suns in a bombed out sky. “You really are a useless scrap heap aren’t you?”

Pulling the Con up he steadied him against the wall. “Just fix the arm. If you’re lucky I’ll find Knock Out and send him your way.”

“My hero” The condescending tone dripped from each of the short words as if they were soaked. Still Breakdown easily found the right wires to manipulate the medic’s servo and slowly got to work. Bulkhead tried not to stare. It wasn’t easy. Breakdown had some pretty deft digits. And even getting most of his training from a rumored mad mech he was slow and gentle.

“You uhh….you really know what you’re doing.” Bulkhead had been skeptical at first that the other bruiser could do any better a job than he could on himself but with just the tools and the few wires stolen from the Vehicons he already had the arm off and halfway to being almost as good as new.

“No thanks to you. Remember when you told me I was a idiot and should just give up on my dreams because any sane medic would laugh me out of their sights? Good thing I managed to find one that was off his rocks a bit.”

Bulkhead tried to hide his guilty blush. He hadn’t realized how much his input had meant to the mech back then. He’d only been trying to protect him. “I never said that. You’re exaggerating.”

“You said I should stick to doing what I was best at. Crushing skulls and looking cute.”

“Yeah well fine you win. You sure showed me.” Primus if he had to hear one more thing about how badly he was a aft back then Bulkhead swore he was going to offline himself. He didn’t need the reminder.

“Yeah I sure did because I learned how to do both.”

Bulkhead kept his gaze away, he could practically hear that cocky smile settling on the other mechs face. Still not wanting to fuel the Con’s ego didn’t stop him from muttering the truth to himself. “Yeah….you sure did.”

* * *

 

Bulkhead used his returned mobility to crack off a decent chunk of energon for them both to share but Breakdown barely touched his share. When he’d been working Bulkhead had noticed how drab his color was getting, how cold he was with his slow engine. Sitting close despite the rancid smell coming off of him Bulkhead crushed up a few of the crystals better and shoved them into the other mechs servo. Breakdown held them weakly but made no attempt to eat them. Well that peeved Bulkhead something fierce.“What’s wrong with you. Don’t trust me to even keep ya fueled now? You can starve if ya want it’s fine by me! You already smell like a corpse.” Breakdown slowly brought one of the chunks to his mouth to eat it but Bulkhead had a sinking feeling it wasn’t because of his reprimanding. Breakdown was in a daze, the only thing getting a rise out of him was the beeping coming from Knock Out’s arm. Bulkhead moved slowly as he reached to cup the other mechs face. “Come on Con you’re freakin’ me out. Eat and act normal for once.”

“He’s so damn close Bulk. He’s going mad up there ‘cuz of me.” Bulkhead wanted to scream. Here he was trying to actually help and all the slagger could do was think about another mech! He was effing terrified for Bee and Arcee’s safety and he hadn’t been going on about them for the past five cycles!

“You need to fuel up and go back into standby. You’re making no sense.” Bulkhead urged the other mech to eat and after a few tries he got Breakdown to chew on a few more crystals before lying back down. This time Bulkhead stayed close. In spite of the Con’s warning about Knock Out he settled in to keep watch on the other bruiser as he rested. Bulkhead bumped up his engine despite the way it made him cough and his insides itch. The feeling of having Breakdown so close, clinging to him for warmth again, bringing back old sore memories. His wandering servos didn’t help much either.

Recharge didn’t last long. Breakdown woke with a start and rolled off into a coughing fit. He’d been shaking in his recharge the entire time but Bulkhead had just thought he was cold. His dwindling energy forcing his systems to try harder and harder to send him into stasis. As he let the metal that had cracked off Breakdown’s side scatter to the ground and listened to the other mech retch and gasp in pain the truth finally dawned on him. He was dying. They both were but…. Breakdown was just going faster because he’d been stuck lying in the contaminated water. That was their plan. Throw whoever they could into the mine explosion and poison whoever came to check out the scene. Escape to wherever they wanted finally free from the war. The Cons might not come for Breakdown but they would come to look for Knock Out. As their only medic they had to….and it would be their death. If they didn’t Bulkhead had a feeling that all those carts of energon had a nasty surprise hidden in them. Optimus had probably already come looking for him, for Bee, Arcee! Who knew if they weren’t already sick too! How long did Knock Out’s poison take to complete its objective? He'd probably never know but... he had to have an antidote. He had to. That’s why Breakdown wouldn’t shut up!

Bulkhead had to go. Now. He couldn’t stick around and wait anymore. For his own sake...and Breakdown's. As much as he wanted to comfort the dying mech he knew once he got close he wouldn’t want to leave. Breakdown had that effect on a mech. So he kept his distance. “I’m leaving Con. Don’t expect me back.” Bulkhead knew that was a lie but...hopefully Breakdown wouldn’t. What had happened didn’t change anything. Breakdown may have been ready to leave the Cons but it wasn’t as if he was running to him anytime soon. It probably worked but Breakdown managed to pull him back anyway.

“Bulk wait!” The pain in the words drew Bulkhead back. He pulled Breakdown close and rubbed at his sore back. Breakdown leaned in closer. Bulkhead tried to focus on anything despite the dangerous flickering of golden optics. “Make sure he gets out of here okay? If you really want to make things square between us...okay?” Bulkhead tried not to grumble. Knock Out was getting out of this mine one way or another despite either of their feelings.

“Yeah. I’ll get him.”

“Yeah….you really are still as dense as you’ve always been .” Bulkhead tried to retort, tired of the insults but he didn’t get the chance. Cold stiff lip plates suddenly pressed to his. Instinctively Bulk’s servos went to Breakdown’s helm, cradling it roughly to keep the other close. Shiny dark green strands of oral lubricant lingered on their plating as Breakdown pulled away to vent. “Better be careful...he’s got a mean swing when he’s angry.” Despite Breakdown’s acrid taste Bulkhead quickly turned greedy, missing the feeling of having him more than he ever let himself admit. Going back for a second and third kiss between warm huffs even as the servos clutching at his own slowly went limp. When they finally fell away Bulkhead pulled back and looked into dim optics.

“Breakdown?” Bulkhead shook the mech to try to get him out of standby. More rancid oil and bits of metal cascaded from the seams of Breakdown’s chassis. He….he wasn’t in standby anymore. “Breaky? Breaky come on.” Not even the mechs old pet name worked. He’d run out of time. Bulkhead swore and fought the few tears lingering at the corners of his optics as he set Breakdown back to the dirt. No. This wasn’t it. He was going to fix this!

* * *

 

Clambering up to solid ground Bulkhead panted and huffed for a long moment before crawling to a sturdy wall to force himself to his peds. As soon as he was up he instantly turned to his comm. “Bulkhead to base. Bulkhead to base I need backup and Ratchet pronto…..and bring rope.” It didn’t reach so he stumbled out into the open air to try again. Thankfully Ratchet’s gruff voice returned him. He was about to turn back to the cave to go hunting when he felt something at the base of his neck. “Bumblebee? That you?”

“Wouldn’t you like that.” Primus. Breakdown really had been right. That left a bitter taste in Bulkhead’s mouth. He’d really hoped Knock Out had ran. Despite knowing the risk, and how everyone was going to suffer a part of him really wanted to be right. That Knock Out was just as bad, just as...selfish..as any other mech.

“Where did you get the gun?” The Con could have at least had the decency to be unconscious. To make things easy! But things were never easy when it came to mechs like him. He was always full of surprises.

Knock Out laughed. It sounded crazed and tired. “Oh~ You already know. Sadly I didn’t get to finish the job but~ I don’t need to worry about that. Have you seen Breakdown anywhere? It really is time for us to be going.” Bulkhead just laughed.

“Better look harder. He wasn’t doing so hot when I left him.” Knock Out didn’t even wait to play his trump card.

“I’ll give you the antidote if you just make things easy.” As horrible as it sounded the antidote was the last thing on Bulkhead's mind. He wanted nothing more than for the Con to just leave. So he could play Breakdown’s hero again….just one last time. He was a different mech now though.

Minding his reach Bulkhead pointed back to the mine. “It’s the steep one. It goes straight down so good luck.” Knock Out didn’t say anything, the information not really all that helpful. Then again Bulk didn’t want it to be. He wanted Breakdown to still be there by the time Optimus and Ratchet showed. “Ratchets coming. If you wait-” The gun was already gone from Bulkhead’s neck. A small vial at his peds. Irrational anger still bloomed in Bulk’s spark. He turned to face the retreating Con. “COME ON! HE’S DYING IN THERE! What in the Pit are you gonna do with nothing just let Ratchet fix him up! He needs a real doctor!”

Knock Out turned to face him. He looked just as terrible as Bulkhead, covered in scrapes and dents but even with a missing arm and malfunctioning optic he still looked ready to kill. “Don’t be so thirsty Bulkhead…..what would your little pet think of you groveling at a Con’s peds. Pathetic really.” Bulkhead rushed forward to deck the smarmy fragger but Knock Out was quick on the draw and he really did have quite the swing.

* * *

 

He onlined on one of Ratchet’s med pallets, the sound of Miko’s victorious screams filling his audials. He was glad to see her. See Bee and Arcee up and walking around despite Ratchet’s wary optic never resting. Still it didn’t make him feel any less…...disappointed about what had happened in the mine. It wasn’t even close to the closure he knew both of them probably wanted so it had just made things…...Bulkhead couldn’t think of the word but it made him feel gross. He’d fallen back to Breakdown’s slag so easy. Let himself want it so fast it was almost disgusting. They had literally been trying to kill him and Breakdown had been more than ready to let him run off and die at some point. He should have been glad he got out as good as he did….but his spark wasn’t letting him think straight as usual.

He was lucky Miko was louder than his thoughts. “So Bulk tell me what happened in the mine! How did you manage to come out alive?! How did you manage to convince your greatest enemy to switch sides!?”

“Err...what?

“Breakdown duhh~” He showed up when you were clonked out saying he wanted to join. Said him and Doc Con were done with the fighting so he wanted to lend a hand. You had to have something to do with it right? Were you like trapped together and had a really passionate heart to heart?! Did you punch him till he came to his senses? Did you finally admit you kind of think he’s totally hot?”

“Miko!” Bulkhead carefully grabbed for the girl to muffle her but she squirmed away, a newfound devious look on her face.

“What you do.”

“I said hush! I-I don’t know why he’s here. Where is he?”

Miko rolled her eyes, her suspicions totally validated. “He’s with Optimus and Fowler talking about Cons. I don’t know where they drove off to but I don’t think you have to worry.”

“I’m not Miko. I’m more worried that he’s here at all.” Miko gave him one of her looks. Even she could tell he was lying.

“The dude looks like he lost ten rounds with The Pulveriser and he hasn’t even tried to go hammer time once. So are you going to tell me the truth?”

“Nothing happened Miko.” The girl had already made up her mind. Whatever was in her head probably a lot cooler than getting told for being a grade A slageater in the past.

“I’m just gonna assume it was dirty robot business~”

“MIKO!” The girl quickly jumped off the berth and headed for the stairs to Raf.

“I’ll be here when you want to talk but I’m sure I can get the big blue guy to tell me all about your secret cave makeouts!”

“Nothing happened!” No matter how firmly he lied he couldn’t really hide his blush. Bulkhead swore the girl was psychic. He felt safe knowing it would probably take her a lot longer than she thought it would to get Breakdown to say anything. She didn’t even get the chance to see him again.

Everyone looked at him nervously when Breakdown finally did return. Unlike Miko the team not assuming what happened in the cave and just thinking Breakdown had defected on his own. Bulkhead made himself scarce not wanting to deal with whatever Breakdown was thinking he was doing. He couldn’t leave it alone forever though.

He’d caught the ex-Con outside, sitting on the cliff’s edge looking at the sunrise. Breakdown either didn’t notice him or didn’t want to acknowledge him. Bulkhead wasn’t going to play that game. “What the Pit do you think you’re doing here?” Breakdown just laughed.

“Aww~ So now you’re not happy to see me? Knock Out told me you begged him to let me stay.”

“Yeah….but he clocked me upside the head with one of your hammers. I didn’t think he could lift more than a buffer with those dainty wrists of his.”

“Wow. Someone’s still salty. You gonna make him your new rival and chase him till you win your honor back?” Breakdown had that smug smile on his face. Bulkhead wasn’t in the mood for teasing.

“Why are you here?” Rolling his optics Breakdown turned back to the sunset.

“Plan didn’t work on the Cons. Have to make sure they don’t try to give the Doc any trouble.”

“Wouldn’t you do that better with him?” Of course. Bulkhead resisted the urge to groan and look even more jealous than Breakdown already knew he was.

“And out of your wires? I’m still not in great shape. The Doc can run and hide better without having to worry about me.”

“I don’t think Knock Out needs you at all and I got a wired jaw to prove it.” Breakdown’s frame shook with his laughter.

“I warned you.” Bulkhead moved closer hope blooming in his spark. “That’s why I asked if I could stick around. Heal up. Learn a few new tricks. He told me I was making a stupid mistake but….it’s my mistake to make.

“What kind of mistake?”

“Running around with pious self righteous slaggers. Said I would be miserable. He’s probably right but I really want to give old bucket head my goodbyes before the Doc head’s off planet.”

“You’re leaving earth?”

“Eventually. It’s gonna take the Doc a long time to get our old ship fixed. He hates running around in that holoavatar of his but it makes dealing with people easier. He’ll probably show up from time to time to check on me. He’s good to me like that.”

Now Breakdown was just trying to rile him. “So you’re really gonna stay and help us till then?”

“Yeah. Just to annoy you.” Bulkhead inched closer, drawn in by Breakdown’s arrogant grin and teasing optics.

“We don’t have to annoy each other. We could….keep going where we left off in the mine.”

“Aw Bulk you hungry for another kiss?” Bulkhead held his breath, knowing this wasn’t going to end well.

“Maybe. If you promise not to stab me in my recharge.” Breakdown leaned in close and for a second Bulkhead couldn’t believe he was letting it be that easy. The digit flicking him hard in the center of his forehead ruined that.

Hopping away so he could stand up Breakdown cocked his hip and chuckled as he looked down at the mech he’d stunned. “I’m gonna go check on Ratchet. He said he’d fix my optic if I helped him out. I like the optic patch but I’m sure that poor slagger would _**really**_ appreciate some muscle who can actual complete a task. Right Bulkhead?” Bulkhead didn’t know what the other mechs tone or wink implied but he knew he didn’t like it.

**Author's Note:**

> Don't you hate it when your stuck in a cave and your old flame won't stop talking about their really hot best friend. It's like let's just shut up and make out like good trope pieces. Anyway if anyone else reads this feel free to kudo, comment, and leave a suggestion if you'd like for an upcoming fic.


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